The F1 Rulebook - When Is More Too Much?

13/07/2016 16:20 BST
|
Updated
14/07/2017 10:12 BST

Every sport has a strict set of rules, but the F1 is notorious for updating the sport's many regulations each and every year.

At the start of the 2016 season the FI rulebook got even heavier with new mandates such as changes to exhausts, the way that drivers communicate with their teams and the number of pre-season tests, now slashed from three to two so teams can participate in eight days, rather than 12, of track running before the new season.

It used to be a sport where a driver could rock up with a car and it was case of whoever got round the track fastest being crowned the winner. Gone are the days where as soon as a driver leaves the pits it is just him and the car, till the end. Now the team are more involved than ever before.

You only have to hear the radio after they win a race to know how important the communication between the driver and team is - "thanks guys, I couldn't have done it without you." And it's true, it doesn't matter how great the driver is, if his team isn't as good, they won't win.

Drivers have dedicated tech personnel to help deal with the vast amount of data the cars communicate back to the pits to inform of any problems or potential problems that may be about to happen, but a new 'pit to car messages' rule now limits them to what they can instruct the driver to do...

It might sound like a little tweak, but it is a huge deal with consequences. In this weekend's British Grand Prix Nico Rosberg was given a 10 second penalty for his team giving him 'too much help' over the radio to sort a faulty gearbox.

In the end this 10 second penalty made all the difference and he ended in third place rather than the second place he achieved while racing, with Max Verstappen taking second place. Roll back 10 years and this would not have been the case.

Racing is a team sport now, but can you imagine if the FA limited the communication between Rooney and Vardy? Footie fans would be in uproar!

So with all these new rules, it begs the question - are there now too many in place for drivers and their teams or are they making the sport even more exciting and close nit?

Over the years some rules have been rather... 'interesting'. Like in-race refuelling where teams used to re-fuel the car during a pit stop. It certainly created some 'interesting' moments... Just Google 'F1 pitstop fire' to see what I mean.

Or that one season where they awarded an extra bonus point to the driver with the fastest lap time. It quickly became apparent this rule was flawed; a team knew they only had to score one point to win so would treat the race like qualifying just to get that one lap in. The plan was dropped in 1958 and ever since drivers have only scored points based on where they finish in the race.

Some new rules are well needed though for safety, like adjustments to the cars' head protection - now 20mm higher than before to give more security.

Other new rules should make the sport even better! The most exciting rule to be added recently was that teams are now allowed to have more than one exhaust pipe.

It was a HUGE disappointment when two years ago the cars were ordered to change from the ear splitting V8 engines to the now V6 turbo charged ones. This really did, for me, ruin the sound. That said, it's starting to make a come back and the sound is getting better and better due to this new rule stating that teams can now run more than one exhaust.

And next year another huge change comes in - wider cars will be allowed on the track, with wider tyres which will increase down force so vehicles will stick to the tarmac more. We should see even faster cornering speeds and in my eyes it will also make the cars look more aggressive.

So, despite all the red tape and could these new rules be a good thing for the sport... allowing for faster and safer cars, which I'm hoping, will continue to make the racing exciting and even more fun to watch?

Rules are everywhere, and as they say, they're made to be broken. I used to break the rules at school and at home. I got into a bit of trouble, but often it was totally worth it. I think teams will do the same for many years to come, and find ways to get around the ones they don't particularly like.

Either way, I don't think the FIA will ever stop tinkering with that big old rulebook, and if that makes the sport faster, safer and more exciting, maybe that's no bad thing.